Know about Meisters, Weapons, Kishin, and Witches!

[Julian Galaksylph]

Table of Contents


1st Post: Meister

2nd Post: Weapon

3rd Post: Kishin

4th Post Witch

5th: RP Notes  

[Julian Galaksylph]

Meisters!

Meisters (職人, Shokunin; Literally meaning "craftsman," "mechanic," "worker") are people with exceptional soul wavelengths and are paired with weapons.

R a n k s

There are three different levels of a meister, with each designated with a star, one-star being the lowest and three-star being the highest. The difference between the ranks is evident from the focus in battle, types of skills used, and desire to harvest evil human souls, rarely straying from these types. This likely stems from the fact that most new meisters strive to gather souls and create a Death Scythe. Two-stars and above seem to be sent on specific missions that have nothing to do with harvesting souls, often possessing a skill that would prove advantageous to them. Sid, for example, is normally sent on missions as a spy. Needless to say, three-star meisters are the best meisters for fighting without weapons and being common wielders for death scythes.

A b i l i t i e s

Meisters are best known for being paired with a weapon, but top-level meisters can fight on their own. Stein, the strongest meister who ever graduated from Shibusen, did not dread the prospect of fighting against two meisters unarmed and while in a chair. This was also seen when he was teaching a class on team Resonance. During this occasion, he instructed Maka, Ox and Black Star to fight him and not hold back. Once again, he fought them all while sitting on his chair.
The skills of a meister vary from person to person but they all must know how to channel their soul's wavelength. This can either be through themselves or through a weapon. During both these instances, the meister can unleash a variety of abilities.

It also seems to be a prerequisite that a meister be physically fit. In fact, nearly all meisters revealed appear to be physically fit. The need to be fit is given credence when Nygus noted that it's a shame that Patty is a weapon after witnessing her take down numerous opponents without a loss in form.[1]

Although not exactly an ability in the true sense of the word, it would seem to be common among meisters to have their "themes" present during the use of their abilities. An example of this is Sid, who has an undead theme. This theme of his is present in the name of his attacks, the changing of his weapon into a tomb when performing a resonance, and the fact that he is a zombie. Stein, a scientist who loves to dissect, has stitches present on the blade of Witch-Hunt Slash when he performs it with Spirit. Kid, too, has skulls present on his death cannon when he performs a soul resonance with his two pistols.

Meister Stein using Soul Menace


A meister wielding his weapon.  

[Julian Galaksylph]

Weapons!

Demon Weapons (魔武器, Mabuki in Japanese) are human beings who have the ability to transform into a weapon. At Shibusen, they are paired up with Meisters, humans who are able to wield them in their Weapon forms. Together, they can achieve great amount of power than being on their own.


O r i g i n s

The first Demon Weapons were created 800 years ago prior to the start of the series by the Witch Arachne, following instructions found within the Book of Eibon. To create a Demon Weapon she murdered a fellow Witch to use as a sacrifice. Using the Witch's soul, which has the power of transformation, Arachne joined together an inanimate weapon and a human soul to create a Demon Weapon which had the ability to transform from Human to Weapon form. This act of killing her own kind labeled her as 'the Heretic' and caused her to be hunted by both Shinigami and Witch alike. One of the very first Demon Weapons to have ever been created by Arachne is suggested to be Giriko. The Demon Weapons, despite their unplanned creation, were accepted into the world, and the Eight Powerful Warriors were the first people to fight as Weapon and Meister teams.
The blood of a Weapon is passed down through bloodlines, however depending on the circumstances of an individual's life that blood may or may not actually be awakened. There are families like the Nakatsukasa clan which are made up entirely of Weapons, and families like the Evans family where the Weapon Soul is apparently the only member to have inherited the Weapon blood for numerous generations. There are also very rare cases, such as Maka Albarn's, for instance, who is a Weapon and human hybrid by having a Demon Weapon father and a human mother. She can briefly activate her Weapon abilities when in an unconscious state (this is only the case in the anime, and has not been mentioned in the manga).

C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s

Humans with active Demon Weapon genes look like pretty normal humans (except for Ragnarok and Excalibur) but they have the ability to change their entire body into some variety of a weapon. Their type of weapon they are and the weapon's appearance seem to depend on various criteria. For example, it could depend on a person's personality (Giriko, a violent Demon Weapon who loves to kill, takes on the form of a chainsaw) or it could be the region one was born in (Tsubaki, Masamune, members of the Nakatsukasa Clan are all Japanese, and take on the form of Japanese ninja weapons and a katana), or in the case of very old weapons, what time period they were born in (Excalibur, who lived in medieval Britain, turns into an arming sword, while Ragnarok, from Viking Scandinavia, can become a Viking broadsword in his big form, a berserker sword in his Black Dragon form and a longsword in his shrunken form). Weapon types are very diverse, with typical weapon types such as swords, shurikens, guns etc. along with more obscure ones such as mirrors, lanterns, and even 'pots.' When addressing Demon Weapons, the Japanese word for 'demon,' 'magic,' or 'demonic' (魔 Ma the same kanji used in the Japanese word for Witch, which is quite suited to Demon Weapons since they were created by them) is put before their Weapon forms. For example, Soul is known as a Demon Scythe.
Most Weapons can also transform parts of their body (mostly their limbs) into Weapon form to enhance lethality in battle. The same also applies the other way around, and Demon Weapons can have parts of their human form emerge out of their Weapon form (shown with Spirit and also with Soul when he kicks Giriko while still retaining his Weapon form). It seems that transforming parts of their bodies into weapons doesn't affect their clothing either, as Spirit can easily sprout blades from his arms and back without tearing his clothes, and Soul can turn his entire arm into a blade with similar effect.

Some Weapons in their Weapon form have certain components that move similarly to facial expressions; such as Soul, whose Weapon form has a red eye on top of the haft, which can convey his mood by narrowing when he is angry or ready to fight, or widening when he is startled. Ragnarok's Weapon form has a mouth on the blade near the guard. In Weapon form, Demon Weapons are usually invincible, and although they can feel the impact of the clashing with physical objects, they are protected by their Weapon form and cannot be hurt, unless they are hit by something extremely powerful. If that is the case, the Weapon can still be injured and can bleed, even in Weapon form.

Demon Weapons can also consume souls. Some can choose this by physically eating them, or by absorbing them through other means(Like Liz and Patti taking in souls through their magazines). Consuming souls can make a Demon Weapon stronger. The souls they have consumed can still be taken back, though.

T r a n s f o r m a t i o n

When becoming a weapon, their clothing and everything on their person is carried on into the transformation. After becoming a weapon, the person is seen in his/her human form as some sort of reflection on the weapon and is seen in a completely black space when viewed inside the weapon. Inside their weapon, Demon Weapons seem to be able to have easy access to their souls, as Soul Eater can enter the Black Room in his mind from his Weapon form. They are still able to verbally communicate in their Weapon forms.
Often, in this dark space they are seen without their clothing on, save for a few details (Harvar appears with his visor on). In other cases they can be seen with their entire clothing. If two Weapons are Resonating together and/or close together i.e. they are both used by one Meister, they can share this dark space. The Weapons also glow in the color of their souls when inside Weapon form. For example, Soul Eater has a blue soul, as such, he is glowing a light blue in the dark space. Tsubaki has a yellow soul, therefore she glows yellow. The Thompson sisters have pink souls, so they glow pink. This glow is also present when the Weapons are transforming. The transformation usually involves the Demon Weapon being engulfed in a bright light (the light is the same colour of their souls) and changing into the shape of their weapon before the light disappears. Elemental Demon Weapons display their elements when transforming e.g. Harvar turns into lightning when transforming into his Weapon form. The same also goes for Weapons with various 'themes.' Nygus is often associated with bandages, and her body dissolves into bandage-like strips when she is transforming.

Transforming into Weapon forms can be quite hard for rookie Demon Weapons. Some can only transform parts of their body, or cannot transform at all. The key to transforming, according to Sid, is to picture the weapon resting in one's soul. Mostly, it has to do with confidence and willpower.

D i s c r i m i n a t i o n

Demon Weapons who are still inexperienced in utilizing their abilities are known to accidentally hurt the people around them when their transformation goes wrong. Therefore, they are often feared and discriminated against by normal society, although they pretend to admire them. This is one of the reasons why the DWMA is built, to take in these Demon Weapons and train them to have full control of their ability so that they can be accepted and respected in society.

T y p e s O f D e m o n W e a p o n

Most Demon Weapons are able to transform into Weapon forms, and transform a part of their body into their Weapon form when fighting on their own. However, they are not much of a threat. However, with a Meister, a Demon Weapon can unleash its full potential by combining their strengths with their Meister's. Some Demon Weapons have special characteristics, such as the Nakatsukasa Clan's multiple Weapon form transformation. Some Weapons can also have elemental properties, such as fire and lightning, and can generate these elements even on their own.
Demon Weapons who always fight on their own and can achieve great power without a Meister are known as Autonomous weapons. Demon Weapons who have become Evil humans are known as Dark Weapons.

Demon Weapons are known to have a 'true form.' As a human soul and a Witch Soul was needed for creating the first Demon Weapons, if a Weapon consumes a certain amount of Evil human souls and a Witch Soul, they turn into a powerful Weapon known as a Death Scythe. Eating a human soul, however, will cause the Weapon to turn into a Dark Weapon. This transformation seems to remain permanent, even after the consumer souls are removed.

It is interesting to note that normal weapons can transform partially by replacing a body part with the blade (Soul transforms his arm, Tsubaki her hair, Harvar his hand) while Death Scythes can burst weapon parts out of their body without replacing anything (Spirit out of his arms, like Justin Law, and when Soul becomes death scythe he also can burst a blade out of his arm, without replacing anything)

B o n d B e t w e e n W e a p o n a n d M e i s t e r s

At Shibusen, Demon Weapons are paired up with Meisters, skilled humans with great combat skills. With the Weapon's ability to strengthen their Meister, and vice versa, a Weapon and Meister team can combine their respective powers to become near unstoppable in battle. They can also make each other stronger by working together, making the bond between Weapon and Meister a strong and close one. In order to work together properly, the Meister must understand the Weapon's will, and vice versa. The Demon Weapon is not a normal weapon, or an inanimate object. It is a person with objectives. When perfectly in sync with each other, they can become a lethal force. Just by matching their breathing, a Weapon and Meister can fight flawlessly.
When paired with a Meister, a Weapon becomes extremely deadly. By performing resonance between a Meister and a Weapon, the Weapon can unleash a variety of abilities and can even change its physical form. This level of power can be achieved through what is known as a Soul Resonance, where both Meister and Weapon synchronize their souls with each other. In this state, their thoughts are both synchronized so well, that Weapons can even react to their Meister's emotions (Jacqueline fires out flames when Kim gets angry in her fight with Ox.

In theory, there is no restriction on who is capable of wielding a Weapon. Apart from meisters, it has been demonstrated that many other beings can wield a weapon: other Weapons (Liz and Patti Thompson can act as each other's meisters), animals (the Death Scythe Tezca Tlipoca is wielded by a monkey), Witches (Kim Diehl is an example) or even a soulless creature with a soul implanted within (Giriko was once wielded by the Oldest Golem while it contained the soul of Arachne). However, in practice, the wielder's soul must be able to align with that of the Weapon or a rejection reaction effect will occur. This reaction is derived from a misalignment in the users' Soul Wavelengths, resulting from incompatible personalities, and appears to differ depending upon the individuals involved. For a Weapon and Meister to be compatible, they have to be able to accept and understand each others' personalities. Most compatible Weapon and Meister pairs seem to be opposites in personalities, especially seen with Black Star and Tsubaki and Ox and Harvar. People with similar personalities like Soul and Black Star cannot become an efficient team. So far, Soul and Ragnarok are the only ones to show a rejection reaction though.

Symptoms of this rejection seems to vary on how much the Wavelengths are incompatible. When Black Star tries to wield Soul, their Wavelengths were so incompatible, that Black Star could not even lift Soul from the ground, and when Black Star sent his Wavelength through him, it caused the Demon Scythe physical harm. In the brief moment when Maka couldn't resonate with Soul, the rejection reaction was milder, but still harmful, as even though Maka is able to wield Soul, his Weapon form is extremely hot to the touch and she severely burns her hands until she can Resonate with him again. Ragnarok's rejection reaction affects Crona as well as they both share the same body, and when their Wavelengths become misaligned, dozens of Bloody Needles erupt uncontrollably from Crona's body and the pair loses their ability to utilize their Black Blood. A rejection reaction can be taken so far up to the point that a Weapon and Meister permanently lose their ability to synchronize their souls. At Shibusen, Weapons and Meisters can also change partners if they wish.

In Shibusen, the duty of the Weapon is to protect their Meister at all costs in battle. Seeing as how Weapons do not play as great a fighting role as does their Meister, it is common for them to be in the shadow of their Meister, as noted by Ox while he is observing Patti sparring with the other students. They are often more renowned once they become Death Scythes. In a Meister and Weapon partnership, the Meister is also the dominant figure, as the Meister's decisions are often considered instead of a Weapon's, and Weapons also have a duty to follow their Meister's commands. However, some Weapons break this duty, mostly because they view their Meister as not just a partner, but a close friend, so in order to ensure their safety, they sometimes refuse to obey their Meister's commands and criticize their decisions.

A weapon named Soul Eater transforming


Justin Law, a Death Scythe, can burst weapon parts out of his arm without replacing anything.  

[Julian Galaksylph]

Kishins!

Kishin (鬼神, kishin; FUNimation "Afreet"; Literally meaning "Demon God") are beings created as the final result of consuming an unimaginable amount of pure Souls. Any individual who achieves the status of Kishin has the power of a god, and becomes an equal to Lord Death himself. This individual will also excrete a Madness Wavelength of such high density that it can encompass the entire world, driving those who fall to it to utter insanity.

H i s t o r y

The first kishin created, Asura, was ironically part of the group which was led by Shinigami himself to rid the world of corrupted souls, the Eight Powerful Warriors. Out of fear, Asura ate pure human souls that were not part of Shinigami's list. Asura became so fearful, that he would soon eat his own partner weapon, Vajra. Asura was eventually stopped by Shinigami and had his entire skin removed, his blood drained and used the same skin as a sack for his body. As a result of this, Shinigami rooted his soul to Death City to keep Asura sealed and founded Shibusen to prevent the creation of any new Kishin.

K i s h i n E g g

A Kishin Egg is the soul of an evil human. The soul of an evil human was once a normal soul. However, by consuming other human souls and becoming evil,the soul of the human loses it's humanity and turns into a Kishin Egg. If the evil human is left alone to eat more human souls, it has a risk of becoming a powerful Kishin Egg. Kishin Egg souls are deep red with hexagonal plates attached to the outside.


The kishin egg's soul


Kishin Egg named Jack the Ripper's kishin form.

 

[Julian Galaksylph]

Witches!

In Soul Eater, witches are powerful beings and the natural enemies of Shibusen, as almost all of them have a destructive nature. Most witches featured in the series are based on a distinct animal and have some of their traits in both their personalities, fighting styles and appearances. Witches are also distinguished by their uniquely-purple soul

S w a y o f M a g i c

This is a term used to refer to the naturally destructive instinct that occurs in both a witch and her magic. Almost all witches are influenced by this nature but there are a few exceptions. At a young age a witch's magic has not yet fully developed and so the sway of magic has yet to take hold, but as they grow older and their powers develop this destructive instinct strengthens. Witches who also use nondestructive magic are exempt from this influence but those who fall under this category are extremely rare, with Kim Diehl being the only one present within the series so far.

M a n t r a s

To make use of certain spells, most commonly when they are initially demonstrated within the series, numerous witches (and other beings capable of using magic) perform a specific mantra or chant preceding the statement of the desired ability. Each witch has her own unique phrasing that often pertains exclusively to their respective animal theme; for example Medusa Gorgon's mantra comprises entirely of words relating to her theme of snakes, being "Nake, Snake, Cobra, Cobabara".

However; despite the various instances that follow this magic casting system, it is apparently not a requirement for all witches as both Arachne and Mizune are notable for the absence of any such statement, even though both have used magic multiple times throughout the series.

A b i l i t i e s

■Soul Protect: As the witches' soul wavelength can be easily distinguished by trained meisters, they developed an incantation named "soul protect" which conceals their presence, but renders them unable to use their powers unless the incantation is lifted.
■Flight: Most, if not all, witches have the ability to fly. This done by simply floating in the air, or flying on a broomstick.

■Spiritual Flexibility: There have been instances in which witches have a high understanding of soul wavelengths -- enough so that they can break their soul into small fragments and reform in due time, as emulated by both Medusa and Arachne. But, one-parent witches cannot do that.

■Meister Capabilities: Although it is unlikely for a witch to partner with a weapon due to strife between them and Shibusen, it is feasible for a witch to use a weapon. Kim Diehl, for example, is a lamp meister.

■Longevity: Witches, at least the powerful ones, appear to have incredibly long life spans. Medusa is known to have been alive 800 years before the start of the series. Even after eight centuries, Medusa still has the appearance of a young woman. Both Risa and Arisa confirmed that witches have a longer lifespan and so have more youth. But, one parent witches cannot have Longevity due to having mortal blood.

N o t a b i l i t y

Medusa is one such witch who also acts as the main antagonist. Another witch who gains importance in the story is Arachne, Medusa's older sister and leader of the organization Arachnophobia, which poses itself as a serious threat to Shibusen. Not all witches are antagonists, however, such as Kim Diehl, a weapon meister from Shibusen specializing in regeneration magic, and Angela, a child witch under care of Mifune, a skilled swordsman who is determined to protect her at any cost. The witch queen Mabaa is known as the strongest witch, and being nearly as strong as Shinigami.

W i t c h M a s s

Witch Mass is the name used to refer to the gathering of a large number of witches, conducted under the authority of the current witch queen, Mabaa. Little has been revealed about the exact nature and purpose of these events but these meetings are considered as sacred to most members and it is seen to be a large disgrace to have an outsider (non-witch) accompany a member to one.

Each mass ends with the phrase "Joma Joma Dabarasa" (backwards for "Majo Majo Sarabada", which is "Witch Witch Farewell" in English), firstly said by Mabaa and then replied to by the other attending witches.


D e a t h S c y t h e

For a weapon to become a Death Scythe, they must set out and eat 99 Souls that are on their way to becoming a Kishin or Afreet eggs and one Witch Soul. The Witch Soul is the hardest soul to capture and must be done last. If a soul other than a Witch Soul is eaten last, such as a Cat's Soul, all the previous souls will become worthless and the quest must be restarted.

The explanation of Soul Protect


Witches at the Witch Mass


An example of a witch's soul.